Brand experience starts with the device, even in IoT

In my previous blog, I examined the issues related to the security of network connected IoT devices, and proposed a solution to remotely securing and managing them with a connected device platform (CDP). Moreover, when it comes to mobile and home devices, operators have come to appreciate that the device is one of their key brand touch points. Good device management is ultimately all about better customer relationships and increased trust; in short, it’s the starting point for good brand management. And as devices have become more complex and intelligent, they also provide critical information about consumer behavior and customer aspirations.

As we move rapidly towards IoT, the number of devices to manage will explode. Consumers and businesses will be immersed in a mesh of sensors and devices that will automate much of our lives. The quality of that experience will likely represent a more profound change than anything we’ve experienced since the advent of the internet. So what happens when that mesh of connected devices stops working as expected?

Besides the operational, IT, and security issues raised by connecting billions of new devices, the most profound effect may be on the explosion of potential brand relationships that will result. In a recent study by Nokia, 63% of consumers globally expressed an interest in controlling one or more device from their smartphone associated with their home, utilities, health and/or car. When asked who they expected to make this possible, their opinions were close to being evenly split among their mobile network operator, device manufacturers, independent app developers, and smartphone manufacturers.[1] This highlights the complexity that surrounds IoT, as well as the confusion that currently exists around who will be responsible for the IoT customer experience.

The good news is that operators were cited most by consumers. So how do their CEOs and CMOs make sure they hold that lead? And how do they put some distance between them and competitors for that prized customer relationship? Even when they play a background role, their enterprise customers will rely heavily on operators to extend their own reach. Today, the CEOs of many consumer-facing enterprises realize that the digital customer experience is a new, big piece of their brand promise. From banks, to airlines, to utilities and retail, from government services to logistics, the industrial Internet of Things and M2M have to work seamlessly and without fail.

The sheer complexity of the interactions among devices, smartphones, apps and the network works in favor of the operator. That’s because the network is at the center of the connectivity that drives the whole experience. So, it’s critical that operators master the complexity of device management and are not overwhelmed by it. The key to this mastery is a world-class, connected device management platform, or CDP, which ensures the security and seamlessness of the consumers’ hyper-connected world.

Nokia leads the mobile, home, and small cell device management, with a decade’s worth of experience helping 300+ service providers around the world in managing 1.5 billion network connected devices. With Nokia Motive® Connected Device Platform, we have the largest device library supporting 80,000+ device/sensor models.

The Motive® CDP is a key part of the Nokia Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things (IMPACT). IMPACT is a horizontal IoT platform that provides service providers, enterprises, and governments with data collection, event processing, device management, data contextualization, data analytics, end-to-end security and applications enablement, for any device, any protocol, across any application.

Share your thoughts on this topic by replying below – or join the Twitter discussion with @nokianetworks or @nokia using #IoT #CEM #CSPCX

About Daisy Su

Daisy heads the marketing for all Nokia’s award-winning device management solutions for mobile, home, and IoT, as well as marketing for the software as a service (SaaS) offers. Daisy also happens to be an inventor with 3 US patents and a co-author in the Bell Labs Technical Journal.